Plastic buoys



June 25, 1963 s. NELSON 3,094,719

PLASTIC BUOYS Filed Feb. 26, 1959 INVENTOR1SYDNEY NELSON.

HIS ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,094,719 PLASTIC BUOYS Sydney Nelson, 762 Vaughan Road, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Filed Feb. 26, 1959, Ser. No. 795,807 1 Claim. (Cl. 9-8) My invention comprises an ovoid plastic buoy of the general construction hereinafter detailed capable of use for a variety of marine purposes, but particularly for the submarine suspension of nets in the fishing industry with all the advantages which flow from the use of plastic in contrast to wood, which latter tends after relatively short use to become waterlogged and cracked whereby the buoyancy thereof is considerably decreased.

A further object of my invention is to provide a cylindrical marker buoy also of plastic according to the construction herewithin described for use in combination with the aforesaid ovoid buoy, which latter, because of its particularly high buoyancy is unstable in the water and liable to roll and heel heavily so that a flagpole or a signal light in the apex thereof might Well be more or less submerged a large part of the time and particularly if the buoy were supporting a net tending to pull it to one side under tidal influence. In contrast, my cylindrical marker buoy is highly stable in the water.

A further object of my invention is to provide an ovoid buoy characterised by having anchoring means at the submerged pole of minor amplitude which includes a pair of jaws presenting a gap therebetween into which a portion of the upper edge of a net can be inserted and made fast so as to help reduce rolling, at least in the direction of the net, and whereby the net may be held elevated a maximum height, or as close to the watersurface as possible, and whereby hauling-in of the net, and its general handling at that time, may be facilitated.

With the foregoing objects in view, and such other objects as may become apparent as this specification proceeds, my invention consists in the following construction and arrangement of parts all as hereinafter more particularly described, reference being had to the accompanying figures, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevation partly in section, of my ovoid buoy.

FIGURE 2 is a section on the line 22 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a section on the line 33 of FIGURE 1.

In the drawings like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in the several figures.

Describing first the buoy of FIGURES 1 through 3, the same will be seen to consist of a body collectively designated 1, the pole of major amplitude 2 whereof, in use surmounts the pole of minor amplitude 3.

The anchoring means associated with the buoy of FIG- URE 1 comprises a pair of spaced and parallel jaws 4 having a gap 5 therebetween. Above the said gap is positioned an open-ended sleeve 6. From a contemplation of FIGURES 1 through 3, it will be recognized that the axes of gap 5 and sleeve 6 may be said to lie in parallel. Although in the accompanying FIGURE 5,

the subjacent net has been shown tied loosely to the buoy to facilitate illustration of their connection, it will be appreciated that in virtue of the said gap and sleeve, the net-edge may be hauled up into the gap and tied by means of a short rope passed through the sleeve and secured at the opposite ends of the sleeve and the rope to spaced points on the said net-edge.

Within the said buoy is situated a set of inwardly projecting ribs 7, these extending longitudinally Within the body and being co-terminous at their upper ends, or in other words, at the pole 2 of major amplitude. The ribs extend in fact substantially for the length of the distance between the poles 2 and 3 for inner strengthening purposes.

Upon external girth of the buoy is an eye-piece 8 whereby the buoy may be anchored in the manner hereinafter to be explained. If desired also, ports 9 may be provided in the buoy to admit water or other ballast to a height desired after which the same can be stoppered.

Since various modifications can be made in the invention hereinbefore described and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and numerous variations made thereto all Within the spirit and scope of the invention without departing from such spirit and scope, it is intended that the said description and drawings are to be interpreted as illustrative only, and not in a limiting sense, and that only such limitations should be placed upon my invention as are specifically contained in the definition thereof as expressed in the accompanying claim.

What I claim as my invention is:

An ovoid plastic buoy having recessed anchoring means at the pole of minor amplitude, the pole of major amplitude surmounting said pole of minor amplitude when anchored to an object therebelow, said anchoring means being located at said pole of minor amplitude, and comprising a pair of spaced jaws including parallel walls having a gap therebetween, said Walls receding into the interior of said buoy, an open sleeve being provided adjacent the base of said gap, the axis of said sleeve being parallel with said walls, and a set of inwardly projecting ribs extending longitudinally within said body co-terminous at their pper ends, and substantially from one said pole to the other.

'References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 237,361 Barr Feb. 8, 1881 849,362 Beebe Apr. 9, 1907 1,405,364 Von Truppel Jan. 31, 1922 2,790,187 Marconi Apr. 30, 1957 2,881,551 Atton Apr. 14, 1959 2,894,269 Dodge July 14, 1959 2,897,625 Spitzli Aug. 4, 1959 2,903,716 Zasada Sept. 15, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 551,172 Canada Jan. 7, 1958 362,324 Great Britain Dec. 3, 1931 

